On Sunday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a frustrating contest with the Houston Texans by a 20-10 score. The loss dropped the Chiefs’ record to below .500 at 6-7; the team is firmly on the outside
of the AFC playoff race, looking in.
With the postseason on hold this year, Kansas City will have a chance to do some internal evaluations over the final month, which will be beneficial for building the future roster.
During Sunday’s loss, the team got a chance to evaluate undrafted rookie offensive tackle Esa Pole.
After practicing and playing on the Chiefs through the preseason, Pole was waived on the final day of roster cuts and quickly picked up by the New York Jets before he could clear waivers. On October 25th, Pole was re-signed to Kansas City’s practice squad and was elevated to the active roster for the team’s Week 13 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
During that game, the Chiefs lost right tackle Jawaan Taylor and left tackle Josh Simmons. Both were out of the lineup against Houston, meaning Pole was on deck as the swing tackle.
Wanya Morris— who started at left tackle— suffered a knee injury on the first play of the game and did not return. Pole entered with no live-game snaps, squaring off with one of the best edge-rushing duos in the NFL.
Grading Pole’s performance
Kansas City’s game plan was likely already built around helping backups Morris and Jaylon Moore. With Pole, it was reliant on looks that provided help in pass protection and limited the number of solo blocks he would have to make against All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter, who entered the game with eleven sacks.
Pole earned a quality grade with a solid game in his NFL debut.
The Chiefs limited the number of “island” pass-protection looks that Pole had, and used help via tight ends, running backs, rollouts, and other specific designs.
Poles’ overall grade of 76 reflects an encouraging performance he can build off of.
Pass protection
Pole saw 13 snaps of true solo pass protection against the Texans. In these snaps, he showcased quality footwork and a powerful frame.
Listed at 6 feet 7 inches tall and 320 pounds, Pole combines a massive frame with quick feet and solid fundamentals in pass protection.
On the snap, Pole moves smoothly out of his stance and gets his hands on the edge rusher. His strike isn’t the strongest, but his long arms and sound base help him keep the defender out of his body and loop him around the arc.
Pole will need to work on improving his striking power as well as his hand usage in pass protection.
On the snap, Pole does a nice job of exploding out of his stance and keeping his weight inside-out with good bend. He attempts to throw a strike, but the edge rusher gets into his body and starts to work to bend the arc. Pole misses, but he absorbs the edge rusher and can recover the block.
His patience, timing and engagement with defenders were impressive. It happens often that tackles overcompensate against quick edge rushers and try to fly outside to stop the speed rush; in the process, they give the inside up.
Pole has the foot quickness to remain patient off the snap. Once he is able to stop the initial rush, he locks his anchor and hands in to slow the pass rush. He gives up the inside gap, but it was late and quarterback Patrick Mahomes had more than enough time to roll.
If Pole wants a chance at career longevity, he must improve on his hand striking, strike power, and body control.
Run blocking
Pole had a modest run blocking grade, but he has the tools to be good at it for a while in the NFL.
The lack of great body control hurt him this week, especially when blocking in space or creating leverage to root out defenders. The leverage issues will always be noticeable in the run game due to his frame, but he does project to be good on double teams and down blocks due to his size.
This week, the Chiefs did not run many power or counter runs where Pole could use his frame to down block. He found a way to use his size to his advantage on the backside of a zone play.
Quick out of his stance, Pole grinds through the defensive tackle inside of him and creates a nice lane for Pacheco to run into. This is a good example of Pole using his natural power to create movement on the line of scrimmage; it’s something we should see more of moving forward.
The bottom line
The Chiefs’ season is on the rocks, but the coaches and front office can use the final weeks to evaluate where the roster is headed into 2026. On paper, the offensive line is built, but creating quality depth and having capable reserve options who can play important snaps is important during the Mahomes era.
Pole has the capability of becoming the team’s swing tackle and a possible option to start in the future if he can finish the season strong.
